Does anybody else have a bad feeling about the ECU potentially being invited to the BE? Not bad as if we won't get invited, but bad as if we do and then a year or two later the BE loses its BCS membership. With talk of the MWC becoming a BCS conference, it's made me wonder if perhaps the writing is already on the wall about the BE losing its BCS status. Adding the MWC would make 7 BCS conferences, I would think they would need an 8th to keep the bowl games even so they dont have to share the BCS revenue with another non-AQ. Since there hasn't been any public talk of that happening, I get he feeling the BE will be downgraded shortly to keep 6 BCS conferences and limit the non-AQ spots in BCS bowls. Especially if the right teams from the BE are stolen away.
The long and short of it is that the BE scares me as a potential spot for ECU. IMO the biggest draw is the BCS money the BE would provide. If that money weren't there, I don't know that it would be worth moving conferences, potentially geting stuck in another long term deal, and not having a real sense of security for the programs future. I'd hate for the same sort of situation to occur that did with CUSA. CUSA had a lot of potential with TCU, UL, Cincy, and USF to be a very strong football conference, but we know how that turned out.
Any thoughts? Obviously the BCS money is the main draw, but is the BE really where ECU fits in? Would you be happy as a fan of ECU to be in the BE if it were to remain the weakest BCS conference and not have a secure future?

This round of shakeups could destroy the Big East as a Football conference.

I can say that the BE is probably the only upside conference ECU has a shot in. Don't get me wrong, C-USA has been a great place for the Pirates. I don't think C-USA is going to to make much more noise than it has over the past few years. The Big East will survive and I think some of the C-USA schools will thrive in that conference. I don't believe we will see the superconferences this go around. The Big East losing one school (rutgers or PITT or Syracuse) and picking up 3 (ECU, Memphis and UCF) would make a good 10 team conference for the big east. This senario seems the most hopeful for our program.

Expansions rumors are running rabid through all these boards. I think with ECU commitment to athletics and TH at the helm we can just hope for the best.

Pirate for LIFE!

ECU will be a great fit for the big east. Since were in a better conference then the C-USA we might get better recruits. The be will survive and will always make buzz in the NCAA

Also ECU has a passionate fan base. At VA Tech game vs ECU we had alot of fans there chanting and cheering for the Pirates.. We have a great tv audience too. I saw that all of the markets ECU games are shown were ranked 33th in tv market.

I don't trust the BE anymore.

I know we want BCS money and all that but I think making CUSA a BCS conference is a better use of our effort.

I think the BE should get there BCS AQ stripped if you send a unranked UCONN team to a BCS game to get killed by OU thats embarrassing. If CUSA gets a AQ bid then i think.... know recruiting would go way up and Attendance (for other teams maybe ECU has great game attendance and fans will travel like its no ones business) will sky rocket. I think we stand to benefit way more from staying put then going to a sinking Big East.

True. Thanks for the comments on my post too. I have a better view of it now.